Header Right

Pages

On Deck Sports Facility Feature: The Yard – Lexington, KY

When the state of Kentucky and the sport of baseball are in the same sentence, there is generally one thought. While everyone knows about the bats, The Bluegrass State has also produced many elite baseball players – making an indoor baseball facility a natural fit.

In Lexington, Nick Williams has opened The Yard baseball facility to help these players train all year. The Yard opened in 2017 after Williams worked with Keith Burke from On Deck Sports. Williams had not heard of On Deck Sports prior to working with us, but was provided with the contact information of facility owners in his area to see what our facility team was capable of. After visiting these facilities and speaking more with Burke, Williams decided to work on a full indoor facility build out.

We worked with Williams on a 15,000+ square foot facility that features artificial turf fields, custom batting cages and equipment – all from On Deck Sports. “It was certainly a pleasant surprise when I could get everything from On Deck,” Williams said when asked about the convenience of our one-stop facility supply shopping experience. “The ability to get 99% of what I needed from one-stop combined with great customer service and friendly staff all played a role in my decision.”

We provided the yard with eight batting cages and a multisport field that all used our custom shell net batting cage design. This allows for the highest level of versatility and safety in The Yard. The batting cages have sliding divider curtains, allowing Williams to open the cages for fielding work or other sports such as lacrosse, soccer and more – making The Yard a multisport indoor facility.

This did not come without some challenges though. “This was an interesting project,” Burke said when asked about The Yard. “There were a lot of columns that ran through the facility, so I had to dictate the size of the field and cages around them. Some of the cages had to be smaller than we would have preferred but we were able to accommodate the number of cages needed.”

The Yard – Lexington, KY

On Deck Sports created a custom rendering of the new indoor baseball facility

The Yard – Lexington, KY

Our experts lay out the batting cages, turf and other equipment for The Yard

The Yard – Lexington, KY

Our facility plan shows every angle of the new sports complex

The Yard – Lexington, KY

A look at The Yard before our expert installation team started outfitting the facility

The Yard – Lexington, KY

The Yard is a multisport complex, and they got lacrosse nets from On Deck Sports to provide a lacrosse training area

The Yard – Lexington, KY

A young athlete works on batting practice inside our custom shell net batting cage with an Iron Mike pitching machine

The Yard – Lexington, KY

The Iron Mike pitching machine loaded up, ready for batting practice

The Yard – Lexington, KY

The completed indoor sports facility at The Yard in Lexington, KY

The Yard – Lexington, KY

A before and after look at The Yard in Lexington, KY

This custom batting cage design and versatility was very appealing for Williams. “It is certainly an important part of supplying options to my customers,” Williams said when asked about Burke’s batting cage and field design for his facility. “Batting cages can be constrictive and the opportunity to slide the cages back and utilize the entire turf area will be a great asset. The ability to slide back the cage netting had always been a thought in my mind but Keith provided some insight on how easily that would work and the minimal cost difference and it was a no-brainer in the end.”

Aside from the cages, Burke selected PM34 padded artificial turf for The Yard. It is the most popular turf for indoor sports facilities – providing a soft feel, realistic bounce and protection thanks to its polyethylene yarn and 5mm foam padding. This makes it an ideal turf for baseball & softball facilities or multisport complexes.

“I installed 15,000 square feet of turf and needed something that players could slide/dive on without risking injury but was still cost effective when considering the constraints of being a start-up business,” Williams said when discussing the turf options Burke laid out. “The turf, at the suggestion of Keith, fits both of those needs. It has held up perfectly so far and the limited play I have seen on it thus far leads me to believe that I went the right direction.”

“I would not only suggest On Deck Sports to other facility owners I would encourage that they use On Deck and I would also invite them to come check out my facility,” Williams said. “I fully plan to utilize On Deck Sports again. From their knowledge to their customer service to their one-stop shopping – it just makes sense. I’m certainly a satisfied customer.”